Quincy Agent Arc: The Story Starts Anew
Act I: Quaint Beginnings High School of the Dead BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock's wail was unmistakable. Geoffrey Oscar rolled over, folding the covers, that were blanketed over his head, back, so that he could reach over and nonchalantly shut the annoying, yet blaring, noise off with a touch of a button. Silence reigned again, and Geoff rolled over on his back, propping himself up with his arms, and sighed. 6:30 am. How he despised that time. Time to prepare for another day of classes; the third day of the new school year. Another day of having his nose stuck in a book, stuck in a desk, in a classroom, until 4:00 pm rolled around. With a heave, which took most of his strength, Geoff managed to roll out of bed, standing with his bare feet onto the cold, wooden floor. Half an hour later, he was well on his way to class. The sky was clouded that day, and the scent of rain was heavy in the air, though no precipitation had fallen just yet. The overcast was welcome. Rider City had been engulfed in a drought for the past seven months. Plus, Geoff liked the rain. Turning the corner, he finally entered the Northern District, and his school, Rider High School, stood off in the distance; at the end of the street. Cars rushed by, busy adults on their way to work. Geoff paid them no heed. So far he had seen not one of his schoolmates. Most had their parents drive them, but Geoff preferred walking as it built up his stamina and allowed him a brief time outdoors, which enjoyed greatly, as it relaxed him prior to the many hours of stressful classes he had ahead. Upon reaching the grounds, he was immediately confronted by his best friend, Ronald Frank, or "Ron", as Geoff referred to him. The two exchanged greetings, as per the usual, and proceeded to walk in together. Ron was two grades above Geoff, who was a freshman, but the two had been friends ever since Geoff was twelve, so they managed to get along very well despite the age gap. "So, I heard you got Mr. Ishida this year for homeroom." Ron chatted as they approached the side entrance. "Class B-3, right?" "Yeah." Geoff causally replied, his head still in the clouds. "What's he like? I've heard he's pretty weird." Ron continued, without missing a beat. "Eh, he's alright." Geoff snorted. "He's kinda eccentric, but I'm getting used to it." "I see." Ron mused. "I heard his grandson is starting this year too. What was his name? Sasaki?" "Sakaki, Ronny." Geoff correct. "Sakaki Ishida." "Yeah, yeah." Ron moaned mockingly, swinging his backpack off of his shoulder as they reached the locker room within the building. "I'll never get used to those Japanese names." "Speaking of that," Geoff continued, following suit with Ron, "I wonder what made them come all the way from Japan. Where are they from again? Some place called Karakura Town?" "Sounds about right." Ron replied, collecting his supplies for his first class before slamming his locker shut. "There's no telling what made them come to this shithole of a city." "You really don't like this place, do you?" Geoff teased, flashing Ron a sneer. "Damn straight." Ron snorted. "Oh well. We should get to homeroom. I'll catch you at lunch period." Geoff replied, waving before turning to walk down the hall. "Later, dude!" Ron called out as he too ventured off. The morning continued uneventfully. Upon reaching homeroom, Geoff found himself a desk in the center of the classroom, and listened, halfheartedly, as Mr. Ishida read the class roster and took attendance; perking up only momentarily to reply after hearing his name get called. Then it was on to the morning lessons. Mr. Ishida is the school's head arithmetic instructor, so class began with Algebra — a subject Geoff despised with a passion, though he somehow found the motivation to take adequate notes. Midway through the class, the lecture was interrupted by a sudden arrival. It was a boy about Geoff's age, with short blue hair, looking much like Mr. Ishida himself. "Ah, there you are Sakaki." Ishida announced. "Come on in." Sakaki, the boy Geoff and Ron had discussed earlier, silently entered the room, taking a stand in front of the class, just behind Mr. Ishida's podium, awaiting his introduction and instructions. "Class, this is my grandson, Sakaki Ishida. He is a transfer student from Japan, and he will be joining you all in this homeroom class for the time being. Please welcome him." Mr. Ishida announced. "Sakaki, find a seat. Perhaps over there behind Geoffrey-kun." "-Kun". A Japanese honorific. Mr. Ishida still wasn't used to being in the United States, so he was still prone to referring to others with the honorifics he was so used to back in Japan. Most of the other students either found it annoying or amusing, but Geoff was indifferent towards it. He watched Sakaki take his seat, directly behind him, never losing the stone face he had entered the room with. Hopefully, the kid would lighten up. The next two periods were uneventful. Geoff realized that Sakaki had every class the same as him, a fact which put him off moderately at first, but, by lunch period, he had forgotten all about it. In the courtyard of the school, on lunch period, Geoff met up with Ron, and the two went to the outside picnic tables to eat their meals. The two discussed their classes thus far, and Geoff vaguely mentioned Sakaki, though Ron didn't seem to be genuinely interested. The rest of the day went on like this; uneventful. By 4:00 pm, Geoff was ready to get home and relax for a bit. He walked along the side of the road, a light drizzle now pouring from the bloated rain clouds, and a cold breeze floating through the air. Geoff took note of the fact that he seemed to be completely alone on a usually busy street, but it didn't seem to bother him all that much. At first. As he turned the corner back into the South District of Rider City, he noticed the clouds beginning to darken. Soon after, the street lights lining the road lit up, allowing him an expanded field of vision. The rain began to intensify, so Geoff took off sprinting towards the next street, eager to get home and out of the downpour. His rather uneventful day was shattered in the moment, when he seemingly slipped, faceplanting in the ground, causing him to skid several feet across concrete and grass, until he finally came to a stop just beneath a tree in one of the yards lining the street. Pain shot through his shoulder as he slowly made his way to his feet. Immediately something was wrong. He noticed that what he had tripped over wasn't wet cement. It was a tail. A black tail. A black tail connected to a large monster. A monster with eight legs, and a large, skull-like mask on its head. The creature opened its mouth and let out a bone-chilling screech. Geoff's first instinct was to run, but immediately noticed he was unable to, because, during his fall, he had also injured his knee, which impeded his motion. Seizing the opportunity, the creature lunged, knocking Geoff down once again. This time, he was totally defenseless. The creature loomed over him like a predator over its prey. Geoff even thought he'd seen it salivating as it glared hungrily down upon him. With another roar, the creature lunged again, and Geoff closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable sting of death. The last noise he heard was an explosion, followed by a hiss, as if something was being unleashed behind him. The creatures screams of pain followed that, and then, nothingness... Day Turns to Night, Life Turns to Death: The Angel of Mercy Spreads Her Wings "Awaken" Where am I? "Can you hear me, boy?" What is that voice? "Geoffrey Oscar, come forth!" Light flooded into the darkness. Geoffrey suddenly became aware that he was no longer on the streets at home. Jolting upward, he immediately noticed who had called out to him in his slumber. Several feet away from him, standing at the base of a clock tower, was an old man, with flowing black hair, wearing orange sunglasses. Taking this moment to look around, Geoff confirmed what he had already suspected. This wasn't Rider City. It wasn't even anything close. The city around him was very, very different. It actually looked a great deal like London. Hundreds of European-style buildings, with a massive clock tower, which they were located at, in the center of the city. "Where am I?" Geoff whispered, half to himself. "This is the world within your soul, Geoffrey." the old man replied, stepping forward towards the boy; his steps resounding each time. "World within my soul?" Geoff repeated in a mocking tone, "What is this, the Twilight Zone? It looks like London in here!" "Make no mistake, Geoffrey." the man said. "This is no trick. No dream. You are here, within your mind, because you were attacked by a Hollow." "A... Hollow...?" Geoff repeated. "Never heard of 'em!" "Recall back to the real world." the old man interjected. "You were attacked by a monster, weren't you?" Geoff's eyes widened. He remembered now! A giant, spider-like monster had appeared suddenly and seemed to be trying to eat him. "You mean...! That was...!" Geoff exclaimed. "A Hollow, yes." the old man replied. "Your rich spirit energy attracted it to you." "Spirit energy? Hollows? What is going on here?" Geoff muttered. "All will be revealed in due time. For now, its time to wake up. We shall meet again soon, Geoffrey." the man replied. Geoff attempted to protest, but the light was now overcoming the inner world, and soon, he could no longer see the old man. His ears, rather than hearing the echo of the inner world, now were filled with the sounds of hospital machines beeping and scurrying nurses. At first, his vision was blurry and he struggled to focus his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the soreness in his knee and shoulders, the two locations he had injured in the attack. He winced in pain as he slowly sat himself up in the hospital bed. "Geoff! Geoffster?!" an all too familiar voice filled his ears next. "Darcy! He's awake!" It was Ron. Ronald Frank. His best friend. The older boy was so excited to see Geoff awake that he had practically jumped into the hospital bed, much to the chagrin of his own parents, who had also come to visit. Darcy, Geoff's older sister, who was a nurse at the hospital, rushed into the room and joined Ron next to Geoff's bed. Both looked like shit warmed over. Ron's hair was messed up, as if the boy had just scrambled out of bed without combing it. Darcy also looked awful; bags starting to form around her eyes. His friends and family were very, very tired. "How are you feeling, little brother?" Darcy managed weakly. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck." Geoff replied, still wincing in pain. "Well, supposedly that's what happened to you." Ron replied, his voice carrying a heavy sense of worry. "At least, that's what the person that found you said." "Person who found me?" Geoff started to ask, only to catch sight of a familiar person in the waiting room. There, talking to the police, was Sakaki Ishida, the transfer student. But, he hadn't been hit by a car. There as a monster. A Hollow. It had attacked him... and then... His memory was still hazy. But he remembered a sound, followed by the Hollow's screams of pain. Something had happened to it to prevent it from killing him and eating him. Geoff's eyes narrowed. If Ishida had found him... then... What did that mean? Had he chased the monster off? Preposterous. A fourteen year old kid couldn't have driven that monster off. It was tossing Geoff around like a tennis ball. What could he have done differently? "I'm so relieved you're okay, Geoff." Darcy continued, sighing. "I'd better call Mom and Dad. They've been so worried." "Where are they?" Geoff asked, turning back to his sister. "At home. Its 2:30 in the morning Geoff. The police arrived late, so the young man that found you had to stay, but I told Mom and Dad I'd watch after you and call them if something changed." Darcy replied, pulling her cell phone from her apron. Geoff briefly glanced out the door again. Sakaki was getting up and gathering his belongings. The police had already gone. For a brief moment, the Japanese teen glanced into the room, locking eyes with Geoff. It was a look he'd never forget. A look of complete detachment. Of feeling absolutely nothing. But, as quickly as it came, the staring contest ended, and Sakaki walked out of sight, presumably to leave the hospital. ---- Two days passed and Geoff recovered fairly quickly. He was given a few days leave from school to nurse his wounds, but Ron brought him his homework and notes straight from Mr. Ishida himself so that he wouldn't fall behind. He was very thankful to his best friend for that. Though his knee was still sore, he was now able to hobble around the house, which allowed his father and mother to return to work without having to worry. He had not experienced any more odd run-ins with the strange old man from within his soul, nor had he seen any signs of the Hollow that had attacked him. Maybe it really had been killed. That evening, however, events would transpire to make this day another strange encounter for Geoff. Shortly after dinner, Geoff had retired to his room, studying some of the notes Ron had brought him earlier, when a soft knock resounded on his door. His father opened the door, so he put down his things and turned his attention to the man. Behind him was none other than Sakaki Ishida, completely expressionless as usual. "Geoff, you have a visitor." Gregory Oscar announced the obvious. "This is Sakaki, the boy who found you the other day, after the truck hit you." Geoff managed a wave of greeting, but mainly observed the newcomer. "Come on in, Sakaki. Make yourself at home." Geoff's father continued. "I'll leave you two alone for the time being. Your mom and I are going out to get some groceries. We'll be back in about an hour." "Okay," Geoff replied, keeping his eyes fixated on Sakaki, who had locked eyes on him. Shortly thereafter, the door shut, and Geoff could hear the sound of the family car pull away from the house, until it completely faded away. For what seemed like an eternity, the two teenagers sat in complete silence, eyes locked from across the room like two rival predators. Unable to take it any longer, Geoff decided he would be the one to break the silence. "What brings you here?" A basic question, but it would suffice. "To check on your progress." Sakaki jabbed back. "You seem better." "Yeah. As soon as this soreness goes away, I will be fine." Geoff replied. "By the way..." "Let me guess," Sakaki interrupted. "You want to ask me why I told you were hit by a car?" Geoff was stunned. He had been right! Sakaki had seen the Hollow. "Yeah. So you saw it too." he said. Sakaki sighed, "Was it your first time? Seeing a Hollow, that is?" "You know what a Hollow is?!" Geoff exclaimed. "Of course I do. Its my job to know." Sakaki replied bluntly. "They aren't common around here, but when they do show up, they're always a pain in the ass to deal with." "So you really did kill it then..." Geoff surmised, no longer a doubt in his mind. "How?" This question seemed to surprise Sakaki, "You don't know? But, aren't you..." he trailed off. Geoff studied Sakaki. The teen was clearly searching for the right words to use, but was clearly having difficulty forming them. Finally, the empty look resumed itself upon the transfer student's face, and he turned back to face Geoff. "I see. So you've never been told." Sakaki finally said. "Told what?! I don't know what's going on at all!" Geoff practically yelled, frustration within him mounting. "The other day, you met an old man within your thoughts, didn't you?" Sakaki asked. Now it was Geoff's turn to be surprised. "How do you know about that?" "Because I have met him too." Sakaki replied, resulting in another ghostly expression from Geoff. "How troublesome that you have not been told anything... about your heritage." "What does my heritage and that old man have to do with anything?" Geoff begged, pleading for some sort of answer. "Seek him out." Sakaki instructed cryptically, standing up. "Wait, how do I do that?!" Geoff cried out, nearly leaping out of his bed after the teen. "Just focus. You'll figure out how on your own. If you want answers, seek him. Then come and find me." Sakaki replied, now in the threshold of the doorway. "And I will tell you all you need to know about our mission." With that, the boy left, leaving Geoff alone in the house to ponder his cryptic instructions as the sun dipped below the American horizon. Distraught, the teenager dropped back onto his bed, eyes wide, trying to process the information that would change his life forever... The Man With the Answers Just focus. You'll figure out how on your own. If you want answers, seek him. Then come and find me.... and I will tell you all you need to know about our mission. What could he have possibly meant? "Our mission"? Who was he referring to, exactly? Geoff was propped up against his pillow, beams of moonlight filtering through his window and illuminating his bedroom. It was well after 3:30 in the morning, but he couldn't sleep. How was he supposed to just pop into his soul and meet the old man again? He hadn't even done it voluntarily the first time! It had just happened! And now he was expected to do it just "willy nilly"? Sighing heavily, Geoff plopped back into his bed, returning his gaze to the ceiling. What a frustrating situation indeed. Still, he had to admit that he was curious. But there was still the problem of how to get to the inside of his soul. Snarling in frustration, Geoff rolled over to face the wall and, before he knew it, was asleep. But sleep would prove impossible this night. It began as an odd burning sensation. As the minutes passed, the sensation became more and more intense, until, after nearly ten minutes, it felt as though his very chest was on fire. Yet, he couldn't awaken himself to scream out in agony. Then... suddenly... Light again illuminated the darkness. The incredible pain receded and once again he found himself within the bustling city within his soul. Immediately, he leaped to his feet, realizing where he was; the sound of his movement echoing seemingly for miles. Seeing the clock tower from last time, he began to walk towards it, glancing around as he advanced to get acquainted with the inner world he found himself in. As he closed in on his destination, he noticed a figure watching him from a balcony near the top of the tower; clearly the old man. "So... you've ventured into this realm again." he announced, his voice ringing out from the top of the structure. "Yes, though I'm not sure how I keep doing it." Geoff replied, coming to a halt. "I believe I can explain that." the old man replied. "The first time, I summoned you into this world to shield you from the pain of the injuries you sustained from the Hollow. This time... its because your reiatsu has awakened." "Rei.. atsu?" Geoff repeated. "This keeps getting more and more confusing." "Doubtless, you felt a burning sensation earlier, correct?" the man mused. "That was your powers awakening. Now, you must claim those powers or..." Throwing aside his long, ragged cloak, the man thrust out his right hand, generating a sword of condensed energy, which he then took hold of. "...be denied them." Geoff's eyes widened, "My powers? What powers are we talking about here? Does this have more to do with that reiatsu thing you were referring to?" "I suppose I owe you an explanation. Please don't interrupt." the old man began, pointing his sword in a defensive posture. "You are a Quincy — Humans who hunt Hollows. Really, only half Quincy, what we call Gemischt Quincy. Your mother is a normal human. It seems that they wanted to conceal your lineage from you." "My... lineage?!" Geoff mentally screamed. How troublesome that you have not been told anything... about your heritage. "So that's what he meant." Geoff recalled, narrowing his eyes. The old man closed his eyes, "In this world, there are three opposing forces. Humans, which make up the living souls of the World of the Living, the Shinigami, who perch themselves in Soul Society, the afterlife, and tout themselves as the real world's guardians, and the Hollows; evil Human souls that seek to devour other souls. It is usually a Shinigami's job to deal with Hollows, but, over the millenia, they have become lazy, so, a select group of Humans, the Quincy, decided to take matters into their own hands." he explained. "How... how do you know all this?!" Geoff suddenly interjected. "Just who the hell are you?! Sakaki said he has met you before! How do you inhabit our souls?!" "I... am a shade. A spiritual fingerprint on the soul of Quincy. Physically, I resemble the legendary king of the Quincy, Yhwach. But in truth, I am simply the manifested form of your latent Quincy powers." the shade replied. "I see." Geoff replied. "But I have no need for such things! I have lived fourteen years without these 'powers' you speak of. Why do I need them now?!" "You mentioned this boy, Sakaki." the old man replied, seemingly ignoring the question. "I can only assume that you mean Sakaki Ishida. If that's the case, you will need these powers." "Why—" "No more questions!" the old man bellowed. "The time has come. Releasing all of your pent up reiatsu has made it unstable. If you wish to survive, you need to find your powers... before I kill you." Geoff's eyes widened in surprise, but it was too late. The man was on a downward descent towards him... ---- The moon in the Human World was now at its most full and no clouds remained in the sky to obscure it. A small breeze gently blew through the air that settled over the quaint city of Rider, which had gone quiet hours ago as its residents slept. A large shadow quickly expanded across the sky. And as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving four small figures literally standing in the air overlooking the city. All three figures were cloaked entirely in white, a special hood cloaking their faces from direct sight. Spotting another figure as it arrived on the ground, the four figures dropped out of the sky and onto the ground below to meet the newcomer. "His Majesty sure sent a lot of you here." the younger figure said. The first figure, at the head of the group, through his hood off; prompting the other two to follow his lead, revealing them to be— Stern Ritter H, Bazz-B Stern Ritter F, Äs Nödt Stern Ritter I, Brünhild Horowitz And Stern Ritter K, BG9 "You're not working fast enough. His Majesty sent us to check on your progress." Äs spoke up. "Oi, I'm in charge of this operation!" Bazz-B snapped. "So, kid, what's taking so long?!" "I can't help it." the young figure replied, craning his head to the side. "The fool didn't even know he was a Quincy." "We have to move fast." the mechanical voice of BG9 cut in. "They are becoming more and more active. The Oscar boy's power will be vital in the upcoming conflict." "Tch, I don't even get it..." the younger boy blurted, annoyance clearly in his voice. "Why is His Majesty so concerned about Oscar's power?! He's weak!" "For now." Bazz-B growled. "Do you doubt His Majesty's judgement?" This stopped the younger boy's tirade, "No." "Bring the Oscar child to Nakayo. Within the week. Elsewise, we'll return." Bazz-B continued. "His Majesty cannot be kept waiting forever.... Ishida Sakaki." "Understood." Sakaki replied, his face finally illuminated in the moonlight. The shadows reappeared, consuming the four Stern Ritter before leaving the boy in the dark, alone again. Turning back slightly to get a view of what was behind him, he glared at the unmistakable form of Geoffrey Oscar's home. Soon, it would be time to set the plan His Majesty had enacted into motion. Soon, very soon... Act II: Prinz von Licht The Man With the Answers II Blood flowed out into the spiritual realm Geoff found himself in. The old man had cut him — fairly deeply from the looks of it. The teenager found himself, bent at the knee, heaving heavily in fatigue, as the blood slowly dripped against the concrete beneath him. Though he couldn't see him, Geoff heard the old man approaching him from his left, and he was powerless to run from him. Oddly enough, the man didn't attack him, however, stopping a few feet from him and observing him quietly for several seconds before speaking; "You really are weak, boy." his voice echoed out. "I cannot give you powers while you are in this state." "I told you... I don't need powers!" Geoff exploded, in a rare fit of rage. The man narrowed his eyes, "Have you nothing you wish to protect?" he asked plainly. Geoff's eyes widened slightly, "Protect?" he asked. "What kind of question is that?" "I will have to let you discover that for yourself." the old man replied as he slowly began to fade. "Come back here when you find your 'desire' to protect." Geoff could only grip his wound as the world of his mind faded away and the sunlight from outside his window came flooding into the room, awakening him from his slumber. Rubbing his eyes, he quickly sat up in bed and felt of his shoulder, where he had been wounded in his inner world. To his relief, he found that nothing was cut, and he wasn't bleeding. He thought over what he had been just told by the old man spirit; Come back here when you find your "desire" to protect. What could he have possibly meant by that? The Hollow he had encountered two days ago had only attacked him. He didn't need to protect anyone. Sighing to himself, he slid out of bed to get ready for his first day back in school, following his injuries. Walking to school was more of a chore, this time around, than it had ever been. Though his knee had healed, it was still exhibiting soreness, which labored him on the rather lengthy walk to his school. Upon arriving, he was disheartened to hear that Ron wasn't there. He hadn't shown up to school, leaving him without his best friend to cheer up the rather gloom mood he had awoken into. Throughout his school day, he couldn't seem to focus on any of his work, causing a few embarrassing moments with Mr. Ishida. When lunch came around, he found himself with more homework than he had accumulated from his two days of absence – due to his lack of paying attention, or completing class assignments. He mainly fiddled with his food during the lunch break, not caring much for eating at the time. Several minutes before lunch ended, an explosion rang out, followed by the heavy sound of rain. Another thunderstorm had rolled into the area. Gazing absently out of the cafeteria window, Geoff allowed the sight of the storm to suck him in. The endless rain. The gentle rolling of the thunder. The random, yet beautiful flashes of lightning were quite the sight to view. "Geoffrey!" the shrill of a voice snapped him out of his daydream. He jerked his head, almost violently, to see who had made the noise. It was Karen; Karen Libowitz. One of the honor roll students at his last school and the daughter of one of the instructors at Rider High. She was also in his class this year. Geoff was immediately struck by the panicked look on her face. Additionally, it seemed she had been outside in the rain; her uniform was drenched, and her hair dripping with rainwater. Geoff immediately leaped up to see what was the matter; "Karen! What is it?!" he barked. "Its Ron! You have to come quick! They found Ron!" she shrieked, tears now pouring from her eyes. Geoff didn't even bother with a verbal response. As Karen charged through the hall, Geoff was tore after her, full speed, pushing passed students and teachers, in the process. Both students erupted out of the school, into the torrential downpour that was being unleashed from heaven, but they didn't stop. Geoff continued running, now practically on Karen's heels, ignoring the now immense soreness, turning to pain, arising from his injured knee. They soon reached the pavement of the street in front of their school, where a large gathering of police and yellow tape had amassed. Geoff nearly slipped and fell as he skidded to a halt on the moist, slightly flooded ground. There, just beyond the yellow police tape, lay his best friend, in a pool of his own blood. Geoff's body reacted before his mind. The sting of tears welled and overflowed, running down his face along with the rain. Without thinking, he ducked under the tape, much to the chagrin of the police officers who had arrived to see what the students needed, and dashed to his best friend's side. Upon reaching him, he was slightly relieved to notice the boy's chest rising and falling, which, while shallow, indicated that he was still alive. A deep gash was running from the top of his deltoid in a vertical line to his opposite hip. For the second time that day, he was snapped from his daze by a loud voice. "Young man, get away from him!" It was one of the policemen who had come rushing in after him. "We're awaiting an ambulance this very minute." "Who?!" Geoff snarled through tears. "Who did this to him?!" "That's still under investigation, son, now get back to the other side of the tape!" the officer shouted through the crack of thunder. Balling his fist, Geoff reluctantly rose and walked back to where Karen was standing, wide eyed, looking back the whole time, as he did. Once back on the sidewalk, Geoff collapsed on the ground, not caring that it was soaked in rainwater. Karen came over to stand next to him. The ambulance arrived minutes later, and Ron was taken on a stretcher to the nearby hospital to receive emergency medical treatment. Even once they'd gone, Geoff and Karen remained the rain now having drenched all the way through their clothing. "Who could have done this..." Geoff repeated, breaking several minutes worth of silence. Karen only looked at him. From the look on her face, she was just as confused, worried, and frustrated as Geoff. "I think I may have the answer to that." a monotone voice came from behind them. The two teens snapped around to locate the source of the voice, only to be astonished to see Himura Ishida, Mr. Ishida himself, holding an umbrella over his head, standing not too far from them. "Mr. Ishida?" they said in tandem. "Come, children." he said, his voice unusually soft. "Let us get out of this rain. We can discuss it more in my office." Both teens shuffled over to their teacher, taking shelter under his rather large umbrella, and the three of them together scurried out of the rain and back into the school building. The Ones I Want To Protect Mr. Ishida draped each of his students in large towels as they entered his dimly-lit office. Both were soaked to the bone from rainwater and were shivering violently from the cold. Going over to the heater behind his desk, Himura flipped the device on, sending a small, yet steady, heat wave through the room. He then wordlessly directed them to sit on a nearby sofa, which they did. Geoff looked around the room as he sat and awaited Mr. Ishida. The office looked like a miniature library, with bookshelves full of books lining each wall, and a small study near the back of the room, directly beside the window. Himura returned, several minutes later, holding a tray of steaming tea, which he sat down before them. He took his own cup and reclined himself against the front of his desk, and, after taking a sip of tea, he began to speak. "I imagine you both have a great deal of questions." Himura finally said. "I will try to answer them the best I can, but I warn you, some answers won't be easy to explain." Geoff's fists balled up, "Do you know what happened to Ron?" he asked through gritted teeth. Himura sighed, sitting down his tea and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a vile, "I don't know exactly, but this should shed some light on the situation." he said, holding up the vile for them to see. "What's that?" Karen asked. "Tell me, you two, do either of you believe in ghosts?" he asked ominously. Karen's eyes widened, but Geoff's, on the other hand, narrowed. "Is this more of that convoluted Shinigami–Hollow–Quincy bullshit?" he snapped. "What?!" Karen asked, her head snapping around in genuine confusion. "As a matter of fact, Geoffrey, it is." Himura replied. "But we should probably fill our friend here in before we continue." And so, Mr. Ishida filled Karen in on the details of the spiritual world, which Geoff had already been informed of twice. She clearly held interest in what he was saying, because she didn't take an eye off of him throughout the explanation. When he was done, he folded his arms, still holding the vile, and waited for her to process the information. "So..." she began. "What does any of this have to do with what happened to Ron?" "Its quite simple, really." Himura replied, holding up the vile once again. "The light you see within this container is Quincy reiatsu. It was found within the wound on Ronald's back. I was the one who found him and reported the injury to the police." "You're saying a Quincy is responsible for this?" Geoff asked for clarification. "That's what the indicators would suggest." Himura replied, returning the vile to his jacket pocket. "And how would you know all of this information to begin with?" Geoff interjected, still not convinced. "Because," the teacher replied. "I am a Quincy." The revelation floored Geoff, but right then and there, he made the connection. Sakaki was a Quincy, and his grandfather was Mr. Ishida. It was only natural to think that Mr. Ishida himself was also a Quincy. With that revelation came dozens of new questions, but Geoff managed to cap them and stay focuses on the intended goal. However, whatever he intended to discuss would have to be put on hold. Himura stood completely up, walking around his desk and taking a seat in the chair behind it. "Now then, I suggest you to go on home. I've already emailed an excuse for you both to the principle that will excuse you for your remaining classes for today. Try not to skip out of class again." he said, folding his arms in front of his face. Both teens got up, folding their towels, and sitting them back down before heading towards the door to the office. Karen made it out of the office first, however, before Geoff himself could make it through the threshold, he was snapped out of it by Mr. Ishida's voice, causing him to step back into the office briefly. "Wait, young man." Himura said, opening his top desk drawer, and retrieving an object from it. "Take this with you." The teacher tossed a small pendant, which Geoff caught. Turning it over in his hand, he realized it took the shape of a five-sided pentacle, attached to a small chain, like a necklace. He stared at it briefly before looking at Mr. Ishida with a quizzical expression. "Keep it with you." the older man said. "You'll know what it is for when the time is right." ---- This time underneath the protective veil of an umbrella, the two teenagers walked the streets of Rider City heading back towards their housing district in total silence. Geoff reflected deeply on the pendant he had been given, turning it over and over in his hand, as if staring at it any longer, an answer would come to him. Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Karen stepped out from under the umbrella, once again allowing the rain to pour onto her freely. She planted herself firmly in Geoff's pathway and turned to him, halting his movement. "I'm going to see Ron." she declared, almost proudly. "You should come too." "Agreed." Geoff nodded solemnly. The walk to the hospital was no less eventful, and, with all the walking he had done in the past week, Geoff was beginning to wish he was old enough to drive. Nevertheless, they arrived at the hospital nearly fifteen minutes later. Entering Ron's room, Geoff noted how lifeless his best friend looked. Ron was sleeping, yet was connected to every machine imaginable — some monitoring his life signs and vitals, others pumping vital medication into his body. It was a genuinely sad sight for Geoffrey to witness. Even Karen seemed moved to tears. "I'm going to make the person responsible for this pay..." Geoff snarled to himself, balling his fist. Stepping further into the room, Geoff stood directly beside his friend's bed, where, not even a week prior, his friend had stood when he himself had been stuck in the hospital due to an injury. He wondered if Ron had been as worried for him as he was at this moment. He jerked when he felt a hand gently placed on his shoulder. He turned and saw Karen standing there beside him, her gaze purposeful and her prior tears gone. "I'll help you." she said quietly, almost as a whisper. "But..." Geoff started to protest. "No buts." Karen snapped. "He's my friend too." "We'll need help." Geoff pointed out. "I doubt two fourteen year-olds can take on the spiritual world by themselves." "Don't worry." Karen grinned, almost deviously, "I have an idea on who we can ask." Your Story Databook Omake A small segment that gives information not directly addressed in the chapter; * The spider-Hollow is known as Webliner.